Over half of mothers resort to fabricating stories about their parenting experiences rather than admit to others that they don't always do what is considered to be the right thing, a survey by a UK-based parenting website found.
One in three mothers (32 per cent) confessed to not being truthful when talking to their midwife or health visitor, and nearly three quarters (71 per cent) admitted to lying to their child to make their day easier, the Daily Mail reported.
Top among the parenting choices mothers would rather keep under wraps using the TV to keep children quiet, which nine out of 10 mothers confessed to doing.
In the survey of 1,000 moms, one third reluctantly admitted to replacing the bedtime story with a TV show, while a fifth of families say that once in a while, a healthy dinner is replaced by chocolate and sweets.
Sasha Miller, International Managing Editor for BabyCentre, believes the huge pressure on mothers prevents them from being truthful about the challenges of holding everything together.
"Parenting is a tough job. We all struggle from time to time. I don't think moms should ever feel bad about admitting to cutting corners," Miller said.
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"What I find really interesting is how moms tell us that they try to keep up appearances with parents they meet in the real world but online there is nothing they won't share. In our community on BabyCentre moms are always confessing to less-than-perfect mummy moments," Miller added.
"And they find that when they do, they get a chorus of other moms saying: "Oh yes, I've done that too! You can be anonymous in the online world so it's easier to be honest and it makes you feel so much better to find out that you're not alone," Miller said.
The survey also found that two fifths of mothers have felt dislike for their child. The same number of respondents said that they have compared one child unfavourably to another, and among working moms, three quarters admitted to feeling relieved to go back to work on a Monday morning.
New parents also reported a range of 'mummy mishaps' - with one in three forgetting to strap their baby into their car seat.